Tips for frugal back-to-school savings

Parents will spend more than $600 to get one child ready for school this year, according to the National Retail Federation's annual survey.

Bankrate asked professionals from around the country, and we asked Boston.com readers, to weigh in on how best to achieve back-to-school savings this buying season. This is what they said. Have more suggestions? Share them with us.Next

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Take inventory: Choose a day before you begin to shop and go through your kid's clothes to see what you can salvage from last year, said Nina Restieri, founder of momAgenda.com.

Prepare an inventory sheet by dividing a sheet of paper into four columns with the child's name, the article of clothing, the quantity you have and how many you need to buy. Then, remove everything from your child's closet and drawers, have him or her try on each piece of clothing. You may surprised by what you already have.
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Wait a few days: "Go back to school shopping in mid-September. A lot of stores will have everything from clothing to supplies to backpacks [on sale]."

Set a budget and stick to it: Consider which items are non-negotiable such as the class list of required supplies, said Kim Danger, frugal author and creator of mommysavers.com.

Purchase those mandatory items first, then decide what else would be nice to have under your budget. Clothing, shoes, lunch boxes, and backpacks allow for greater flexibility. Past spending is a good starting point to this year's back-to-school savings.
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Make a list: Laura Rowley, a finance columnist at Yahoo, recommends using your clothing inventory as the start of your shopping list. Make sure to use the list while shopping.

"For clothing, focus on five to seven well-made, easy-care basic items and change the look by mixing in a few less expensive pieces," she said.
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E-mail notices: Sign up for deals notifications at your favorite stores. During back to school time (and other holidays), you'll receive notifications of deals and sales before signs up go up in stores, in some cases.
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Buy in quantities: Certain school supplies get burned through at a ridiculous rate over the course of the school year, so buying in bulk is a good way to save money in the long run, said Kristen Hagopian, author of "Brilliant Frugal Living." While the additional outlay of cash now might not seem like back-to-school savings, you'll have cheaper supplies on hand for several months if you buy in larger quantities.

Buying in large quantities at your local warehouse store and sharing the cost with friends also helps the budget.
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"Online retailers are going to be aggressive in their efforts to win your business. So one of the best ways a savvy shopper can capitalize on the best deals is to use (comparison-shopping engines)," Rowland said.

Host a clothing swap: Another way to achieve back-to-school savings is by holding a party to exchange kids' clothing. Decide who to invite based on the ages, sizes, and gender of their children, said Leah Ingram, author of "Suddenly Frugal" and the blog suddenlyfrugal.com.

If you have six friends who have children who are similar in age, you can hold a small party. But, you may want to expand it to 12 or 15 guests.
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